The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-02-05

behold the
which glory was to be done
away; how shall not the ministratlon OF the
shirt be rather glorious?' 2Cor. iii, ~
The law given through Moses, to
which reference was here made, was
not in its nature ministration of death,
but became such from the manner In
which it was received. In the epistle
TO the Romans, the apostle says, 1.-The
law is holy, and the commandment holy,
lust and good" and ordained to iife,"
Int 81 found it to be unto death. For
sin. taking occasion by the command
ment. deceived me and by it slew me-"
(Ch. vii, 10, 12.) AS in the first IN
stance in the garden of Eden, the COM
mandment intended to conserve ana 10
promote life. became death through dis
obedience. Thus it is with the physiol-
ogical laws; they are laws OF lie ana
health. but we violate them, to ind
thew result in disease and death. And
40 with material provisions for our sus-
tenance in their perverted use. God has
stored the tn with minerals and
chemicals, designed to minister to the
wants of mankind; we take and fashion
them into fiendish enginery, to man
Ole. disfgure, and sweep men from the
earth in legions in the awful blasts OF
war. Yonder is field of grain await
ing the reaper's hand to yield us its
harvest of blessings. AS the eye sweeps
the sunlit expause bending in the sum-
mer breeze, each stalk freighted with
its golden gift to human veal, who
would think that by any Maynard in
genuity, man could search out, and
rouse from it's lair, demon OF drunk
enness, and turn it loose to frenzy the
hearts of men with discord, hatred and
murder? Here is life itself :; what can
be imagined that might add to its
means of improvement and enlarge its
faculties of happiness We would
strive in vain to conceive of gift that
it does not already possess, or which is
not within it's reach, Notwithstanding
it is made so wretched that it becomes
insupportable, and not few ruthlessly
end it, desiring to be anywhere, any
where, out of the world" Others enact
tragedies of crime which make us re-
coil with horror, or by depraved courses
fill us with disgust and loathing; and
vet in it's we'll ordered course how fair
is this life of ours, how glorious its
powers, its privileges and destiny, 'cre-
ated but little lower than God, and
crowned with glory and honor"
But thus do we wrong our own souls
by sin; thus do we brutalize our life
and transmute the richest blessings into
curses. and resolve into deadly poison
the 'scup that runneth over" Thus
the ministrations intended for our nur-
ture and happiness become 'ministra-
lions of DEATH because Of our perverse
appropriation of them. 1t is, however,
in its elements and its imperfect fulfil
ment, glorious ministration. Such
must result from the most
superficial survey of the aspects of the
world. Equally true is this of the law
written and engraven in stones, given
Moses. 1t is the setting forth
Of grand principles, intended to glorify
us and lead us to glorify God. AS we
read and ponder its workings as re-
corded in the Old Testament, the under
standing heart can but be exalted and
filled with reverential awe, even while
Inundated and condemned as in its
dazzling light we find how darkly we
are stained with sin, and how far we
have fallen beneath the majesty of its
The events and provi-
iences that attended its revealing are
glorious; the histories of divine love,
the patriarchal lives, the story of Jo-
seph, the call of Moses, the exodus
from the house of bondage, the glowing
pages of redemption, the awful mani
festation of God at Sinai, the wilder
ness wanderings, and entrance into the
land of Promise, the indomitable spirit
Of Joshua and Deborah, the reigns of
David and Solomon, the splendid tenn
pie and gorgeous ritual, the captivity
and restoration, all of which accom-
panied the administration of the law
md make the history of Israel glorious
beyond all other peoples, albeit its long |
inc of kings, heroes, statesmen, pro-
,hets, sages, its temples and great build
ngs prove but crumbling pageant of
aiding splendor, which has vanished
ike the smoke from their altar of sac
'ifice. 1t lad all been to a vast pur-
pose; it prepared the way for one at
whose coming the heavens were glad,
md the earth rejoiced, to be the Saviour
If the world, in whose life 1.-THE law ap-
pears drawn out in living characters )"
lot abrogated, not destroyed, not re-
handed to oblivion, but fulfilled" Nor
las its ministratiOn ceased, but while
he ages roll on and human grandeur
continues to sink down into the dust,
he divine word with its illustrations
4 the power of God, in dealing with
he nations to which it was committed,